There are plenty of factors to consider before landing on the right curling iron. Details like the barrel material and temperature settings can play a huge role in the health of your hair, while features like a digital screen, swivel cord or fast heat-up can make the entire styling experience smoother and more enjoyable. Then there’s barrel size and how the curl shape varies from a traditional curling iron versus a wand—more on that below. Material I have highly porous, highlighted hair. It’s fine but has medium density. In the winter, when humidity is low, it’s straight, with a slight wave to it. In the summer, when humidity is high, it’s wavy. It curls easily and can hold a style for days. I want a curling iron that won’t damage or dry out my hair and yields shiny, soft-to-the-touch curls. Did you know that there're different kinds of curly hair? It falls into three main categories: wavy, curly, and kinky/coily. Moreover, each category is subdivided into A, B, and C types. Wavy hair follows a loose "S" pattern, while curly hair follows a tight "S" pattern. The most unruly, kinky/coily, hair follows a "Z" pattern. More moisture

With the unique removable clamp, this iron is actually a two-in-one: It can be used as a traditional curling iron or as a wand to achieve a wide range of styles. While we enjoyed the duality, if the clamp wasn’t correctly attached it fell off mid-use and snagged our hair. When we took the time to secure it, it was smooth curling. With 25 variable heat settings, the styler is suitable for all hair types, from very fine to extremely coarse. The manufacturer claims that the tongs are so gentle that can be safely used on children's hair. You can choose the suitable temperature from the 110°C - 210°C range. Considering the lowest heat setting, we can safely say that it's one of best curling irons for fine hair on the market. Like many other heaters, this one features an auto power-off. I t turns itself off after an hour of non-use, so you don't have to worry about the safety of your house if you inadvertently forget to switch the iron off. What We Love: Beyond the price, we loved how smooth it made our hair and the even, consistent curl pattern it created.If we could change one thing about this nearly perfect curling iron, it would be the awkward button placement. There is just one button to power the iron on/off and to change the temperature (pressing and holding for a few seconds turns it on/off and simply hitting it, even softly, adjusts the temperature) and it’s unwisely situated right where you hold the handle. A mild annoyance is a small sacrifice for the fabulous curls it gave us. The barrel of this curling wand features a special coating that allows heat to pass through without allowing hair to directly touch the heat source, ultimately cutting way down on potential damage. Even our fine hair, which never held a curl for more than two minutes, met its match with this curling wand — our waves lasted much longer than they did with any other hot tool.

What We Don't Love: It is hard to safely change out the barrels when they’re hot if you want to create a look with different types of curls. There are small barrels for tighter curls, large barrels for looser ones, and tapered, clipless, motorized, and interchangeable wands for just about any curl in between. There are even swirled barrels that will show you just what your curls will look like before you even push the on button.When creating beach waves, we find it’s easiest to achieve that look when using a long-barreled curling wand without a clamp, and this tool from InStyler fits the bill. Thanks to the clamp-free design, we were able to loosely wrap our hair along the barrel, creating elongated curls that even a mermaid would envy. That said, the tip of this styling tool features a unique “feeder” grip tip that allows for easy one-handed styling, so if you prefer a clamp, you do have options.

It’s rare to find a curling iron that delivers a solid curl across all hair textures regardless of the size of the barrel, but this one from Hot Tools did just that. We tried three different sized barrels — 0.75-inch, 1.25-inch, and 1.5-inch — and we found that each one delivered on their styling promises (beachy waves for larger sizes, tighter curls for smaller). Not only did our curls look great immediately after styling, but they also held their shape for the rest of the day, and even sometimes the next morning. What We Love: This interchangeable tool comes with three barrels, so it’s like three curling irons in one. Reslan says another surefire way to accelerate heat damage is to use the highest heat setting on your curling iron for a day-two refresh. “Recurling or attempting to resmooth your hair on day two or three does not yield the same results as day one, and instead only further damages your more vulnerable hair,” she says. “Your hair’s hydrogen bonds break as soon as it dries and only have the ability to maintain the memory of a hairstyle once until you rewash it and reset the bonds again.” What’s The Best Way To Use A Curling Iron?

WHEN TO USE A 2-INCH CURLING IRON

You’ll really only see three kinds of materials when it comes to curling iron barrels: Ceramic, tourmaline, and titanium. If you have coarse hair that is heat resistant, titanium is the way to go. “It’s a natural metal that heats up very fast and will help the heat penetrate fully through the hair,” says DiGregorio, who adds that it’s also a lightweight material to hold. You’ll find it in the BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Spring Curling Iron.

Temperature aside, we liked the clamp’s nice, strong grip that didn’t yank at our hair, but kept it firmly in place as we styled, while the barrel was smooth enough to slide our finished curls right off. Diva Professional Styling is a British company manufacturing products that are used in the best beauty salons worldwide. The company always follows the newest styling trends and stuffs their products with the advanced technology. Another hallmark of the brand is the excellent price/quality ratio of their products. So, you can be sure that the Diva Professional Styling Intelligent Heat Argan Tong performs best at its price point.You have the option of 50 heat settings going up to 210 degrees. The turbo button instantly boosts the heat to its highest setting. The iron utilises infrared technology to heat your hair from within, minimising damage. However, because it can get so hot, you might want to use heat protectant spray before styling with this iron.